--- title: "Accessing Your Data Using Business Intelligence (BI) Connectors" slug: "accessing-your-data-using-business-intelligence-bi-connectors" description: "Connect your MySQL databases to BI tools with Unqork's easy setup, enabling actionable insights from your data for informed business decisions." updated: 2026-09-02T19:57:07Z published: 2026-09-02T19:57:07Z canonical: "docs.unqork.io/accessing-your-data-using-business-intelligence-bi-connectors" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.unqork.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Accessing Your Data Using Business Intelligence (BI) Connectors > The BI Connector reached end-of-life on **September 1, 2026** and is no longer supported. > > **Alternative Solutions**: For alternative methods of extracting data, consult the guides on [Data Extraction in Unqork](/unqorkai/docs/data-extraction-in-unqork), [Bulk Data Operations](/unqorkai/docs/bulk-data-operations), and [Snowflake Datashare](/unqorkai/docs/datashare-overview). Unqork applications capture a large amount of data as end-users interact with them. From submission data to user activity to metadata, this volume of data can be overwhelming. When arranged in a digestible format, it becomes actionable for business decisions. Organizations looking to aggregate this data can connect their MySQL databases to a BI (Business Intelligence) tool. For example, the MySQL database connector for BI is software that translates SQL queries to MySQL queries and delivers actionable BI from the connected data. Unqork can configure a database connection to a Production environment. These connections create SQL-like views that work with popular BI tools and any other tool that handles ODBC (Open Database Connectivity). ## How to Set Up MySQL Connections for BI Unqork sets up the MySQL connector for you, so you only need to provide information to Unqork. ### Setup To enable MySQL connectors for your organization, submit a request at [support.unqork.com](https://support.unqork.com/). Unqork will follow up with a brief configuration form to collect your desired database views and allowlist specifications. A separate form is required for each environment where the connector is requested. > [!NOTE] > If you anticipate `NULL` values or empty arrays, notify Unqork. After you provide the form, Unqork sets up your connection and any views you request. Send Unqork a password of your choosing using SendSafely. You can rotate these credentials on a preferred cadence. If you decide to change the password later, submit a support ticket at [support.unqork.com](https://support.unqork.com/). When that is complete, you can connect your chosen BI tool to MySQL. > [!NOTE] > You need at least one View available before connecting your BI tool. The last step is to validate your Views to confirm you have everything you need. > For information on connecting MySQL to a compatible BI tool, see the [Microsoft Power Query MySQL connector documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/connectors/mysql-database). ### Testing Unqork configures the connectors for each environment. Connection testing can occur before a production deployment. To test data, ensure that lower environments have comprehensive and quality data. > [!NOTE] > Unqork requires an allowlist for lower environments to perform testing in them. All changes must be promoted sequentially through lower environments. When testing, consider the following: - It is your responsibility to determine if connections were established. - Connectors are a SQL-like layer on top of your data. They are not a database. If you need to perform complex manipulations, extract the data to your data warehouse and manipulate it inside your ecosystem. - Don't set up connectors until configuration is stable. - If an application update results in a change to the data model, the BI tool View might break. Notify your Unqork representative if you make major configuration changes after your initial launch. - All fields that you want to extract must have values in the submission data. - VPN for data transfer is not supported. - When BI Views update, validate the potential impact on connected downstream BI tools. Update downstream BI tools at the same time Unqork updates BI Views. --- **Changelog** | Date | Change | | --- | --- | | 2026-08-14 | Added Snowflake Datashare to Alternative Solutions (EN-8035). Migrated from v1 to unqorkai workspace. | | 2026-09-02 | Updated EOL language to past tense; removed stale View update support note (EN-8085). | End-users, also known as Express Users, are the individuals accessing an application through Express View. In most cases, end-users are the customers using the product. A query lets you retrieve, access, manipulate, and delete data in a database. The Production environment is the final stage of the development process. Use this environment to promote tested and functioning application so your end-user can interact with it. An array is a type of object that stores one or more data types. Data types supported in arrays include numbers, strings, and objects. SQL (Structured Query Language) is language used in programming and designed for managing data contained in a relational database system.